New York Attorney General Letitia James has released body-worn camera footage from the fatal police shooting of Emilson Joan Ordoñez-Banegas, who was killed during an encounter with Suffolk County Police in July.
The video was made public as part of an ongoing investigation by the Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigation (OSI), which is required by state law to review all deaths involving police officers.
The incident happened around 8:30 a.m. on July 13, behind a row of retail stores in Centereach. Officers were responding to a 911 call about an assault involving a knife. When they arrived, they found a man with cuts to his neck and hand.
As EMTs began treating the injured man, Ordoñez-Banegas approached him holding what appeared to be a knife. One officer fired their weapon, striking Ordoñez-Banegas. He was taken to a local hospital and later pronounced dead. Police recovered a knife at the scene.
Transparency effort, not legal judgment
The Attorney General’s office said releasing the video is part of a commitment to transparency, but emphasized that it does not reflect any decision about criminal charges or legal responsibility.
Under Executive Law Section 70-b, OSI investigates all deaths where a police officer may have caused someone’s death, either on duty or off duty. That includes cases where the person was armed or unarmed, and whether or not they were in custody.
“This video contains content that viewers may find disturbing,” the Attorney General’s Office warned.
The investigation is ongoing.
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